PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLI, Issue 1, 10 July 1914, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

The member for Grey Lynn, who was suspended for the whole of the sittinsgs on Tuesday, was in his place again on Wednesday, and wanted to know if the Prime Minister would have the Standing Orders amended so as to allow any member to make a direct charge oil bribery against a Minister or Ministers without being liable to the censure of the House, it being open to the party charged to take such action or inquiry as might be deemed necessary. It is generally thought on both sides of the House that Sir Joseph Ward's noconfidence motion was a bad tactical move and that it will be the means of alienating from that party a good deal of support in the country. It is clearly I to be seen that the only thing to be gained by the Opposition is the blocking of the Government's platform, and this blocking of business is not at all a popular move. Knowing that a feeling of impatience was gaining ground it was not surprising to find Sir .loseph Ward bring matters to a head on the no-confidence motion on Wednesday. Messrs Millar and Clark, who were expected to vote for the Government, were conspicuous by their absence, the former being indisposed and the latter had gone to Eotorua with a friend. It was suggested that Mr Clark should be paired with Mr Ngata, but tike Opposition would not accept this pair, so that the Government had to sacrifice another vote ami pair Mr Bell with Mr Ngata to save any question of their being a broach of faith. The voting was: Tor the no-confidence motion ,'i4, against 39, ; the Government thus" winning by five j votes. The strength of the parties as ! shown, therefore, to be: Government j (including absentees) 42, Opposition 36, • Independent 2, Labour 6. "The dignity of Parliament," says Mr Isitt, "must be upheld," and he promptly proceeds to uphold the dignity of the House by describing that learned and gentlemanly member for Dunedin North, Mr G. M,. Thomson, as "a pedantic, erudite fossil.'' \ Mr Bell has brought under the notice ] of the Atorney-General the statement of Mr Justice Sim, who is reported as j having said that alterations of the law were made in the Consolidated Stat- | utes "deliberately," ''surreptitiously" and "without the knowledge of the I Consolidation Commissionei's." Mr . Bell wants to know what steps, if any, j the Government intend to take in tlia i matter. I